Thin layer chromatography plates and related methods

ABSTRACT

In an embodiment, a method for manufacturing a thin layer chromatography (“TLC”) plate is disclosed. The method includes forming a layer of elongated nanostructures (e.g., carbon nanotubes), and at least partially coating the elongated nanostructures with a coating. The coating includes a stationary phase and/or precursor of a stationary phase for use in chromatography. At least a portion of the elongated nanostructures may be removed after being coated. Embodiments for TLC plates and related methods are also disclosed.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No.61/283,281 filed on 2 Dec. 2009, entitled “Binder Free Thin LayerChromatography Plates Assembled Through Carbon Nanotubes.” Thisapplication is also a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No.12/826,940 filed on 30 Jun. 2010, entitled “Thin Layer ChromatographyPlates and Related Methods,” which claims the benefit of U.S.Provisional Application No. 61/270,023 filed on 1 Jul. 2009, entitled“Binder Free Think Layer Chromatography Plates Assembled Through CarbonNanotubes.” Each of the foregoing patent applications is herebyincorporated herein, in its entirety, by this reference.

BACKGROUND

Chromatography and solid-phase extraction (“SPE”) are commonly-usedseparation techniques employed in a variety of analytical chemistry andbiochemistry environments. Chromatography and SPE are often used forseparation, extraction, and analysis of various constituents, orfractions, of a sample of interest. Chromatography and SPE may also beused for the preparation, purification, concentration, and clean-up ofsamples.

Chromatography and SPE relate to any of a variety of techniques used toseparate complex mixtures based on differential affinities of componentsof a sample carried by a mobile phase with which the sample flows, and astationary phase through which the sample passes. Typically,chromatography and SPE involve the use of a stationary phase thatincludes an adsorbent packed into a cartridge, column, or disposed as athin layer on a plate. Thin-layer chromatography (“TLC”) employs astationary phase that is spread in a thin layer on a carrier orsubstrate plate. A commonly-used stationary phase includes asilica-gel-based sorbent material.

Mobile phases are often solvent-based liquids, although gaschromatography typically employs a gaseous mobile phase. Liquid mobilephases may vary significantly in their compositions depending on variouscharacteristics of the sample being analyzed and on the variouscomponents sought to be extracted and/or analyzed in the sample. Forexample, liquid mobile phases may vary significantly in pH and solventproperties. Additionally, liquid mobile phases may vary in theircompositions depending on the characteristics of the stationary phasethat is being employed. Often, several different mobile phases areemployed during a given chromatography or SPE procedure.

A typical TLC plate is prepared by mixing an adsorbent (which acts asthe stationary phase) with a small amount of an inert binder and water.The mixture may be spread as a relatively viscous slurry onto a carriersheet. The resulting plate can then be dried and activated in an oven.The resulting stationary phase is bound in place to the carrier sheet orother substrate by the binder. The presence of the binder can lead tosecondary interactions with the mobile phase, as well as a decrease inseparation efficiency.

SUMMARY

Embodiments of the present invention are directed to TLC plates, methodsof using such TLC plates in chromatography, and related methods ofmanufacture in which a plurality of elongated stationary phasestructures are formed and affixed to a substrate without the use of aseparate binder. The elimination of the use of any binder may preventunwanted secondary interactions, as well as may improve separationefficiency.

In an embodiment, a method for manufacturing a TLC plate is disclosed.The method includes forming a layer of elongated nanostructures, and atleast partially coating the elongated nanostructures with a coating. Thecoating includes a stationary phase and/or a precursor of a stationaryphase for use in chromatography. In an embodiment, the elongatednanostructures may subsequently be removed by heating in an oxidizingenvironment so as to burn off the elongated nanostructures. In anembodiment, the layer of elongated nanostructures includes a firstportion grown on a first portion of the catalyst layer and at least asecond portion grown on at least a second portion of the catalyst layereach of which exhibits a selected non-linear configuration.

In an embodiment, a TLC plate is disclosed. The TLC plate includes asubstrate, and a plurality of stationary phase structures that extendlongitudinally away from the substrate. At least a portion of theplurality of stationary phase structures exhibits an elongated geometryand are substantially free of carbon nanotubes (“CNTs”) used astemplates for forming the stationary phase structures thereon. In anembodiment, the plurality of stationary phase structures is arranged onthe substrate in a selected pattern. A first and at least a secondportion of the plurality of stationary phase structures may each bearranged in a non-linear pattern, such as a zigzag pattern or otherselected non-linear pattern. Such a non-linear pattern providesincreased mechanical stability to the stationary phase structures, asthe individual stationary phase structures tend to at least partiallyintertwine or contact one another, providing support relative to eachother. In addition, use of zigzag or other non-linear pattern has beenfound to counteract a tendency of the material to delaminate from thesubstrate during oxidation to form the stationary phase structures.

In an embodiment, a method of performing chromatography is disclosed.The method includes providing a TLC plate including a substrate, and aplurality of stationary phase structures extending longitudinally awayfrom the substrate. At least a portion of the plurality of stationaryphase structures exhibits an elongated geometry. The method furtherincludes applying a sample to be analyzed to the plurality of stationaryphase structures of the TLC plate, and drawing a mobile phase throughthe plurality of stationary phase structures having the sample appliedthereto. The different components of the sample may be separated as themobile phase and the sample interact with the TLC plate.

Features from any of the disclosed embodiments may be used incombination with one another, without limitation. In addition, otherfeatures and advantages of the present disclosure will become apparentto those of ordinary skill in the art through consideration of thefollowing detailed description and the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic top plan view of an embodiment of a TLC plateintermediate structure including a substrate and a catalyst layerdisposed over the substrate, with the catalyst layer exhibiting a zigzagpattern;

FIG. 2 is a schematic top plan view of another embodiment of a TLC plateintermediate structure similar to FIG. 1, but the catalyst layerexhibits an alternative zigzag pattern;

FIG. 3 is a schematic top plan view of another embodiment of a TLC plateintermediate structure similar to FIG. 1, but the catalyst layerexhibits a substantially parallel spacing pattern;

FIG. 4 is a schematic top plan view of another embodiment of a TLC plateintermediate structure similar to FIG. 3, but the catalyst layerexhibits another substantially parallel spacing pattern;

FIG. 5 is a schematic top plan view of another embodiment of a TLC plateintermediate structure similar to FIG. 1, but the catalyst layerexhibits a diamond-shaped pattern;

FIG. 6 is a schematic top plan view of another embodiment of a TLC plateintermediate structure similar to FIG. 5, but the catalyst layerexhibits another diamond-shaped pattern;

FIG. 7 is a schematic top plan view of another embodiment of a TLC plateintermediate structure similar to FIG. 1, but the catalyst layerexhibits a honeycomb-like pattern;

FIG. 8 is a schematic top plan view of another embodiment of a TLC plateintermediate structure similar to FIG. 7, but the catalyst layerexhibits another honeycomb-like pattern;

FIG. 9 is a schematic top plan view of another embodiment of a TLC plateintermediate structure similar to FIG. 7, but the catalyst layerexhibits another honeycomb-like pattern;

FIG. 10A is a cross-sectional view of the TLC plate intermediatestructure of FIG. 1;

FIG. 10B is a cross-sectional view of the TLC plate intermediatestructure of FIG. 10A with CNTs grown on the catalyst layer;

FIG. 10C is a cross-sectional view of the TLC plate intermediatestructure of FIG. 10B once the CNTs have been at least partially coatedby a coating;

FIG. 10CC is a close-up top plan view of one of the coated CNTs of FIG.10C.

FIG. 10D is a cross-sectional view of the TLC plate intermediatestructure of FIG. 10C once the CNTs have been burned off, oxidizing thecoating so as to form stationary phase structures;

FIG. 10DD is a close-up top plan view similar to FIG. 10CC, but once theCNTs have been burned off;

FIG. 11A is a schematic top plan view of a TLC plate manufactured from aTLC plate intermediate structure similar to that of FIG. 1;

FIG. 11B is a close-up top plan view of the TLC plate intermediatestructure of FIG. 11A showing several of the high aspect ratio depositedstationary phase structures disposed on the TLC plate substrate;

FIGS. 12A and 12B show graphs illustrating energy dispersive x-rayspectroscopy (“EDX”) spectra of a TLC plate before and after oxidationaccording to working examples of the invention;

FIGS. 13A-13D show scanning electron microscopy (“SEM”) images ofvarious non-linear catalyst layer patterns formed over an aluminasubstrate;

FIGS. 14A-14P show SEM images of TLC plates having different catalystlayer thicknesses and CNTs and SiO₂ elongated nanostructures formedthereon with different corresponding heights;

FIGS. 15A-15N show SEM images of silicon infiltrated CNTs, and oxidizedelongated nanostructures;

FIGS. 16A-16D show SEM and other images comparing the separationefficiency of various TLC plates;

FIG. 17 shows an image of various silicon infiltrated CNT structures aswell as the same structures after oxidation;

FIG. 18A shows an SEM image of another manufactured TLC plate havingSiO₂ stationary phase structures having a zigzag configuration;

FIG. 18B shows the results of a TLC plate spotted with a CAMAG testmixture; and

FIG. 18C shows the comparative results of a commercial TLC plate spottedwith the CAMAG test mixture.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION I. INTRODUCTION

Embodiments of the present invention are directed to TLC plates andrelated methods of manufacture and use. The disclosed TLC plates mayinclude a plurality of elongated stationary phase structures affixed toa substrate without the use of a separate binder to provide a highlyporous structure suitable for chromatography applications. Theelimination of the use of any binder may prevent unwanted secondaryinteractions, as well as may improve separation efficiency.

II. EMBODIMENTS OF METHODS FOR MANUFACTURING TLC PLATES AND TLC PLATEEMBODIMENTS

In various embodiments, a TLC plate may be manufactured by forming alayer of elongated nanostructures on a substrate and then at leastpartially coating the elongated nanostructures with a coating thatcomprises a stationary phase and/or a precursor to the stationary phasefor use in chromatography. While the description hereinbelow uses CNTsas an example of a suitable elongated nanostructure, other elongatednanostructures may be used, such as semiconductor nanowires with orwithout a porous coating, metallic nanowires with or without a porouscoating, nanopillars formed by nanoimprint lithography, combinations ofthe foregoing, or any other suitable nanostructure.

The CNTs may generally be vertically aligned relative to one another,although some contact and/or at least partially intertwining of adjacentCNTs may occur, which may provide increased mechanical stability to theoverall CNT forest. The CNTs are coated with a stationary phase that hasa thickness less than the CNT spacing, which results in a porous mediumthrough which separation by means of chromatography may occur. The CNTforest is used as a framework on which the stationary phase may becoated and/or formed, resulting in a finished structure that isgenerally free of any binder for binding the stationary phase to thesubstrate.

The substrate may include a base, a backing layer disposed on the base,and a catalyst layer disposed on the backing layer that is used tocatalyze growth of CNTs over the substrate. Generally, the catalystlayer may be deposited onto the backing layer by any suitable technique.For example, placement of the catalyst layer may be accomplished using aphotolithography process, such as masking the catalyst layer and etchingto remove regions of the catalyst layer exposed through the mask. Suchphotolithography processes may be used to produce a catalyst layerhaving a selected non-linear (e.g., zigzag) pattern. Other patterningprocesses such as shadow masking with a stencil during catalystdeposition or printing may also be used. In another embodiment, thecatalyst layer may be applied so as to coat substantially the entiresubstrate.

The catalyst layer may comprise any suitable material that catalyzesgrowth of CNTs under suitable growing conditions (e.g., heating andexposure to a process gas such as H₂ and a carbon containing gas such asC₂H₄). Various transition metals may be suitable for use as a catalystlayer. Suitable metals include, but are not limited to iron, nickel,copper, cobalt, alloys of the forgoing metals, and combinations thereof.

The backing layer of the substrate provides support for the structuresof the TLC plate. For example, the backing layer provides a support onwhich the catalyst layer may be deposited, and may also function as adiffusion barrier to help prevent a chemical reaction between thecatalyst layer and the base. Examples of backing layer materials mayinclude, but are not limited to, silica (e.g., fused silica), alumina, alow-expansion high-temperature borosilicate glass (e.g., Pyrex 7740and/or Schott Borofloat glass), steel (e.g., stainless steel), a siliconwafer, a nickel substrate, or any other high-temperature glass or othersuitable material. In embodiments where the backing layer comprises amaterial other than alumina, the backing layer may be prepared for CNTgrowth by application of a thin layer of alumina over the non-aluminabacking layer. The alumina layer may have a thickness between about 5 nmand about 100 nm, more specifically between about 10 nm and about 50 nm,and most specifically between about 20 nm and about 40 nm (e.g., about30 nm).

A catalyst layer (e.g., iron) may be applied over the backing layer. Thecatalyst layer may have a thickness between about 0.1 nm and about 15nm, more particularly between about 0.5 nm and about 8 nm, and even moreparticularly between about 0.5 nm and about 5 nm (e.g., about 2 to about3 nm). For example, the catalyst layer may have a thickness of about 0.5nm, about 1 nm, about 2 nm, about 3 nm, about 4 nm, about 5 nm, about 6nm, about 7 nm, about 8 nm, about 9 nm, about 10 nm, about 11 nm, about12 nm, about 13 nm, about 14 nm, or about 15 nm. Although specificcatalyst layer thicknesses are disclosed above, the inventors havefurther found that varying the thickness of the catalyst layer affectssome or each of the diameter, density, and height of CNTs grown underotherwise identical conditions. As such, according to an embodiment, thecatalyst layer thickness may be altered to change one or more ofdiameter, density, or height of the grown CNTs.

The catalyst layer may be applied in a selected non-linear pattern orother pattern, or may be applied over substantially an entire surface ofthe backing layer. Various embodiments of patterns for the catalystlayer are shown in FIGS. 1-9. For example, FIGS. 1 and 10A show a TLCplate intermediate structure 100 including a substrate 101 having abacking layer 102 disposed on a base 103 and a catalyst layer 104 formedon backing layer 102 in a non-linear zigzag pattern, with the patternedcatalyst represented by the dark lines. In some embodiments, periodicbreaks may be formed in some or all of the zigzag portions of catalystlayer 104 to provide a more uniform average mobile phase velocity to theTLC plate to be ultimately formed. FIG. 2 illustrates another embodimentof a zigzag pattern for catalyst layer 104, with the patterned catalystrepresented by the dark lines. FIGS. 3 and 4 each show a TLC plateintermediate structure 100 including substrate 101 having backing layer102 disposed on base 103 and catalyst layer 104 formed on backing layer102 in substantially parallel patterns according to another embodiment,with the patterned catalyst represented by the dark lines. FIGS. 5 and 6each shows a TLC plate intermediate structure 100 including substrate101 having backing layer 102 disposed on base 103 and catalyst layer 104formed on backing layer 102 in various repeating diamond patternsaccording to various embodiments, with the diamonds representing thecatalyst. FIGS. 7-9 each shows a TLC plate intermediate structure 100including a substrate 101 having backing layer 102 disposed on base 103and catalyst layer 104 formed on backing layer 102 in differenthoneycomb-like patterns according to various embodiments. FIGS. 1 and 2and 5-9 each show a non-linear catalyst pattern, while the patterns ofFIGS. 3 and 4 show generally linear catalyst patterns.

The catalyst layer 104 may be patterned to exhibit any desired spacingbetween adjacent portions of the patterned catalyst layer 104. Forexample, an average bed spacing “S” is shown in FIG. 1. In anembodiment, an average bed spacing between adjacent portions ofpatterned catalyst layer 104 is between about 1 μm and about 50 μm, moreparticularly between about 3 μm and about 20 μm, and most particularlybetween about 5 μm and about 15 μm (e.g., about 10 μm). One of skill inthe art will appreciate that catalyst layer 104 may be formed so as tohave any desired pattern and/or spacing “S.” In another embodiment, thecatalyst layer 104 may be formed so as to cover substantially the entirebacking layer 102, lacking any particular distinct pattern. In someembodiments, catalyst layer 104 is spaced inwardly from edges of backinglayer 102 in order to substantially prevent growth of CNTs on the edges.In some embodiments, the spacing “S” may vary in one or two directions,such as from zigzag portion to zigzag portion.

With catalyst layer 104 formed on backing layer 102, TLC plateintermediate structure 100 may be placed onto a suitable support (e.g.,a quartz support) within a furnace and heated to a temperature within arange of about 600° C. to about 900° C., more particularly between about650° C. to about 850° C., and even more particularly to between about700° C. to about 800° C. (e.g., about 750° C.). Prior to CNT growth, thecatalyst layer 104 may be annealed in an annealing process in which H₂or another process gas is flowed over the catalyst layer 104 (e.g.,within a fused silica tube) while the temperature is increased fromambient temperature to the temperature at which CNT growth will occur.Flow of H₂ may be about 300 cm³/min or other suitable flow rate.

A process gas (e.g., H₂, ammonia, N₂, or combinations thereof) and acarbon-containing gas (e.g., acetylene, ethylene, ethanol, methane, orcombinations thereof) are introduced and flowed over the catalyst layer104. A noble gas (e.g., argon) may also be included with thecarbon-containing gas stream to control the rate of growth of CNTs onand over the catalyst layer 104. Flow of the process gas andcarbon-containing gas (e.g., ethylene) may be within a ratio of about0.5:1 to about 1, more particularly between about 0.55:1 and about0.85:1, and even more particularly between about 0.6:1 and about 0.8:1.

Once the desired height of CNT growth is achieved, flow of the processgas and carbon-containing gas are turned off, and the furnace chambermay be purged with flow of a noble gas (e.g., argon) as the furnace ispartially cooled, for example to a temperature between about 100° C. toabout 300° C., more particularly between about 150° C. to about 250° C.,and even more particularly to between about 175° C. to about 225° C.(e.g., about 200° C.).

In one embodiment, and in order to achieve a higher aspect ratio of basewidth to CNT height, a “start/stop” method may be employed. For example,the carbon-containing gas may be turned off during CNT growth, causingthe CNTs to grow in a myriad of directions. This type of growth may bedesired in some embodiments, as it may lead to more mechanically stableCNTs (e.g., such adjacent CNTs may be more likely to contact and/or atleast partially intertwine with one another).

FIG. 10B is a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of a structuresimilar to that of FIGS. 1 and 10A in which CNTs 106 have been grown onand over catalyst layer 104. CNTs 106 may be grown to extendlongitudinally away from the substrate 101. For example, the CNTs mayextend substantially perpendicular (i.e., vertical) to respectivesurfaces of catalyst layer 104 and substrate 101. Grown CNTs 106 may besingle walled or multi-walled, as desired. Grown CNTs 106 may have anaverage diameter between about 3 nm and about 20 nm, more particularlybetween about 5 nm and about 10 nm (e.g., about 8.5 nm) and an averagelength of about 10 μm to about 2000 μm, about 10 μm to about 1000 μm,about 10 μm to about 500 μm, about 20 μm to about 400 μm, about 20 μm toabout 200 μm, about 100 μm to about 300 μm, about 10 μm to about 100 μm,or about 20 μm to about 200 μm. The grown CNTs 106 may exhibit anaverage aspect ratio (i.e., ratio of average length to average diameter)of about 10,000 to about 2,000,000, such about 10,000 to about1,000,000, or about 100,000 to about 750,000.

The average length to which CNTs 106 are grown may be chosen based onthe particular chromatography application. For example, the averagelength of the CNTs 106 may be about 10 μm to about 100 μm for ultra-thinlayer chromatography (“UTLC”), the average length of the CNTs 106 may beabout 100 μm to about 300 μm for high-performance thin layerchromatography (“HPTLC”), and the average length of the CNTs 106 may beabout 500 μm to about 2000 μm for preparative liquid chromatography(“PLC”).

Additional details regarding growth of CNTs 106 may be found in U.S.patent application Ser. Nos. 12/239,281 and 12/239,339 entitled X-RAYRADIATION WINDOW WITH CARBON NANOTUBE FRAME. Both of the aboveapplications claim priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No.60/995,881. U.S. patent application Ser. Nos. 12/239,281 and 12/239,339and U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/995,881 is eachincorporated herein, in its entirety, by this reference.

Although CNTs 106 are illustrated as being uniformly spaced, CNTs 106may be at least partially intertwined with each other to form a verticalwall of CNTs 106. As previously discussed, the at least partialintertwining and/or contact of CNTs 106 with each other helps reduce,limit, or prevent the vertical wall of CNTs 106 from bending out ofplane. Furthermore, the rigidity of the wall of CNTs 106 may be furtherenhanced to reduce, limit, or prevent out of plane bending thereof bypatterning catalyst layer 104 in a selected non-linear pattern (e.g.,the pattern shown in FIG. 1) and growing respective portions of CNTs 106on the individual non-linear portions of catalyst layer 104 to formrespective walls of CNTs 106.

The CNTs are used as a framework to be infiltrated with a material thatmay increase the mechanical stability of the overall structure andprovide a stationary phase for use in chromatography applications.Referring to FIG. 10C, after growth, CNTs 106 may be infiltrated withone or more infiltrants (e.g. a precursor gas) so that a coating 108deposits on the CNTs 106. Coating 108 comprises a stationary phaseand/or a precursor to the stationary phase. Examples of materials forcoating 108 include, but are not limited to, elemental silicon (e.g.,deposited from a precursor SiH₄ gas), silicon dioxide, silicon nitride,elemental aluminum, aluminum oxide, elemental zirconium, zirconium oxide(e.g., zirconium dioxide), elemental titanium, titanium oxide, amorphouscarbon, graphitic carbon, and combinations of the foregoing. Because thechoice of coating 108 may change the selectivity of the resulting TLCplate, coating 108 used for manufacture of any given TLC plate may beselected depending on the intended use of the TLC plate.

In one embodiment, infiltration of CNTs 106 may be accomplished usingchemical vapor deposition (e.g., low pressure chemical vapor deposition(“LPCVD”)) or another suitable deposition process (e.g., atomic layerdeposition (“ALD”)). For example, the TLC plate intermediate structureshown in FIG. 10B may be placed into a furnace and heated to about 500°C. to about 650° C., more particularly between about 540° C. to about620° C., and even more particularly to between about 560° C. to about600° C. (e.g., about 580° C.). During infiltration, the infiltrationpressure may be maintained at less than about 400 mTorr. For example,the infiltration pressure may be maintained between about 50 mTorr andabout 400 mTorr, more particularly between about 100 mTorr to about 300mTorr, and even more particularly to between about 150 mTorr to about250 mTorr (e.g., about 200 mTorr). Under such temperature and pressureconditions, the infiltrant flows over CNTs 106 to cause a coating 108(see FIG. 10C) to form on CNTs 106. The amount of deposition of thecoating material achieved may be affected by process time. For example,process time for the infiltration may be between about 0.5 hours andabout 10 hours, more particularly between about 1 hours and about 5hours, and most particularly between about 1 hours and about 4 hours(e.g., about 3 hours).

Amorphous carbon infiltration of the CNTs 106 may be performed using acarbon source flowing through the fused silica tube at elevatedtemperatures. For example, ethylene may be flowed, for example, at arate of 170 cm³/min mixed with argon at a flowed rate of 200 cm³/min andat a temperature of about 900° C. Due to the light absorptivecharacteristics of amorphous carbon, the detection of analytes afterseparation may require a post sample preparation. This process mayinclude marking the analytes with an oxidation stable marker andremoving the carbon in a high temperature oxygen environment (e.g., withan oxygen plasma). For example, the developing agent may comprisesilane, either in the gas phase or in solution, which would be appliedto the TLC plate. In an oxidative environment (e.g., an oven, a plasma,or flame), the carbon would be burned away leaving a pattern of SiO₂that would reveal where migration of analytes had occurred.

CNTs 106 may be infiltrated with elemental silicon by LPCVD and thenoxidized, if needed or desired, to form SiO₂. Other deposition processesfor SiO₂ include direct SiO₂ LPCVD, ALD, or by other CVD processes withSiH₄ and O₂ or SiH₂Cl₂ with N₂O, or by other methods for CNTinfiltration that will be apparent to one of skill in the art in lightof the present disclosure. The inventors have performed LPCVDinfiltration of CNTs with elemental silicon followed by dry oxidation.The silicon infiltration process employed SiH₄ as the source forelemental silicon. The silicon infiltration was done by flowing SiH₄ ata rate of about 20 cm³/min at a temperature of about 530° C. with apressure of about 160 mTorr for about 1-3 hours, depending on filmthickness (degree of infiltration) desired. After the silicondeposition, the material was placed into a furnace in air and treated tobetween about 500° C. and about 1000° C. for between about 1 and about10 hours. This process converted the elemental silicon to silicondioxide, while also removing CNTs 106 by oxidizing them into CO and/orCO₂ thereby leaving elongated stationary phase structures made fromsilicon dioxide without any significant amount of CNTs 106 filling.Depending on the extent of the oxidation process, the elongatedstationary phase structures may be substantially solid nanowires withouta hollow central portion where the CNTs 106 where present. This processproduces a white and/or transparent SiO₂ material that may be used forchromatography.

ALD processes may alternatively be used to infiltrate CNTs 106 with aconformal coating of a selected material having chromatographicabilities, or which may be subsequently processed to result in suchabilities. ALD may be used to infiltrate CNTs with SiO₂. One suchprocess may use SiCl₄ and water at a selected temperature. SiCl₄ isintroduced into the chamber containing CNTs 106 and is allowed to reacttherewith for a predetermined time. After finishing the self-limitingchemisorptions/physisorption process, water is introduced into thechamber which reacts with the bound SiCl₄ to produce a conforming layerof SiO₂ on CNTs 106. This process is repeated until a predetermined filmthickness of SiO₂ is achieved. In other embodiments, a process that isALD-like may be employed to infiltrate CNTs 106. For example, SiCl₄ isintroduced, but excess SiCl₄ may or may not be entirely removed bypumping before water is introduced. In turn, excess water may or may notbe entirely removed before SiCl₄ is introduced. By not entirely removingexcess reagent, as would be appropriate for a true ALD process, fasterdeposition of SiO₂ may be possible. This same strategy of incompleteremoval of material could be contemplated for other ALD chemistries thatcould be used to infiltrate CNTs 106. It is also noted that perfectconformal coating of uniform thickness of CNTs 106 may or may not bedesirable. An infiltration process may be designed to produce a roughnon-uniform thickness coating so as to increase the surface area of thesupport.

FIG. 10C is a cross-sectional view of the TLC plate intermediatestructure shown in FIG. 10B in which CNTs 106 have been infiltrated withinfiltrant so that a coating material deposits onto CNTs 106 to formcoating 108 that at least partially coats and extends about a peripheryof respective CNTs 106. In the case in which the infiltrant is a siliconprecursor gas such as silane, coating 108 may be silicon. However, asdiscussed above, other precursor gases may be used so that coating 108may be formed from aluminum or zirconium. Depending on the infiltrantselected, coating 108 may at least partially or substantially coat theentire array of CNTs 106 only, or it may also coat the interveningportions of backing layer 102 and catalyst layer 104 between the CNTs106, resulting in a TLC plate that is one coherent mass. Coating 108 onrespective CNTs 106 shown in FIG. 10C forms respective high aspect ratiostructures exhibiting an elongated annular geometry (e.g., asubstantially hollow cylinder). CNTs 106 act as templates around whichthe coating material deposits. In some embodiments, coating 108 may beporous or non-porous. The particular aspect ratio of the elongatedstructures made from coating 108 depends on the height of the templateCNTs 106, the deposition time, the process temperature (e.g.,temperature of infiltrant and of CNTs 106), or combinations of theforegoing process parameters. FIG. 10CC is a close-up top plan view of asingle coated CNT 106 of FIG. 10C. An average aspect ratio (i.e., ratioof average length to average diameter) of the plurality of elongatedstructures defined by coating 108 coating respective CNTs 106 may beabout 10,000 to about 2,000,000, such about 10,000 to about 1,000,000,or about 100,000 to about 750,000. The average radial thickness ofcoating 108 coating the CNTs 106 may be about 10 nm to about 100 nm,more particularly about 20 nm to about 80 nm, and even more particularlyabout 25 nm to about 40 nm (e.g., about 30 nm). The average length ofthe elongated structures defined by coating 108 may be substantially thesame or similar as the template CNTs 106.

In some cases, random growth of CNTs 106 followed by infiltration andoptionally oxidation of coating 108 can pose a potential problem. Duringthe oxidation process of converting silicon to silicon dioxide, thematerial undergoes a volume expansion due to the addition of the oxygen.The volume expansion causes the material to delaminate from the backing,particularly during longer, more complete oxidation times. One way toreduce, minimize, or eliminate such delamination from the backing is by(e.g., zigzag or other non-linear) patterning the CNT growth catalyst,which places voids into the overall structure allowing for volumeexpansion during the oxidation step. In addition, patterning of thestationary phase medium on the micron-scale may improve separationefficiency. SEM images show how varying the thickness of the catalystlayer causes different heights of CNT growth. Such SEM images are shownin FIGS. 14A-14P. FIGS. 14A-14P show the appearance of the infiltratedplates after the oxidation step where silicon is converted to silicondioxide and CNTs 106 are removed. It is noted that the change in coloris indicative of a change in the material (i.e., the CNTs are dark, theSiO₂ is light). SEM images of the patterned media before and afteroxidation show a volume expansion during oxidation (see FIGS. 15A-15O).

As described above, an average bed spacing between adjacent portions ofpatterned catalyst layer 104 may be between about 1 μm and about 50 μm,more particularly between about 3 μm and about 20 μm, and mostparticularly between about 5 μm and about 15 μm (e.g., about 10 μm). Thegrowth of CNTs 106 followed by infiltration with infiltrant and/orgrowth of coating 108 around CNTs 106 results in less spacing betweenadjacent elongated structures defined by coating 108 as they growlaterally outward and towards one another. For example, an averagespacing between adjacent elongated structures defined by coating 108 maybe between about 0.5 μm and about 30 μm, more particularly between about2 μm and about 10 μm, and most particularly between about 4 μm and about8 μm. Such spacing results in a bulk structure having very high bulkporosity (i.e., the spacing between adjacent structures act as poresthrough which the mobile phase and sample carried therewith advance as aresult of capillary action. When present, porosity of any individualcoating 108 (i.e., as opposed to bulk porosity resulting from spacingbetween adjacent structures) may also contribute to the overall porosityTLC plate.

In an embodiment, CNTs 106 may be partially or substantially completelyremoved once the coating 108 has been deposited onto CNTs 106. Forexample, the TLC plate intermediate structure shown in FIG. 10C may beplaced into a furnace and heated (e.g., to about 800° C. to about 900°C., or about 850° C.) in the presence of an oxidizing atmosphere (e.g.,an oxygen atmosphere) so as to remove (e.g., burn off) substantially allof CNTs 106, leaving only coating 108 disposed on the backing layer 102and catalyst layer 104 of TLC plate substrate 101. Such an oxidationstep may also serve to convert coating 108 into the stationary phase byoxidizing the as-deposited coating 108 if it is not already a stationaryphase. For example, if coating 108 is silicon, aluminum, or zirconium,it may be oxidized to silicon oxide, aluminum oxide, or zirconium oxide,respectively. An embodiment of a method for removal of the CNTs 106 mayinclude oxidizing coating 108 using an oxygen plasma. Other methods forat least partially removing CNTs 106 may include dissolution of CNTs106, or removal by any method.

FIG. 10D is a cross-sectional view of the structure shown in FIG. 10C inwhich the CNTs 106 have been removed and coating 108 has been oxidizedto form a plurality of elongated stationary phase structures 108′. FIG.10DD is a top plan view of stationary phase structures 108′ once CNTs106 have been burned off. FIG. 10D clearly shows the overall high aspectratio configuration of the stationary phase structures 108′. Thedimensions of the plurality of elongated stationary phase structures108′ may be substantially the same or similar dimensions as theplurality of elongated structures defined by coating 108 prior tooxidation. The oxidation process may occur for at least about 5 hours,more particularly at least about 10 hours, and most particularly for atleast about 24 hours. The inventors have found that increased oxidationincreases the separation efficiency achieved by the oxidized stationaryphase. In some embodiments, only a portion of the coating 108 coatingrespective CNTs 106 is oxidized. In other embodiments, substantially allof the coating 108 coating respective CNTs 106 is oxidized.

Although, the elongated stationary phase structures 108′ are illustratedin FIGS. 10D and 10DD as being hollow after removal of the CNTs 106,depending on the extent of oxidation process, the elongated stationaryphase structures 108′ may be substantially solid nanowires in which thespace previously occupied by the CNTs 106 is consumed or filled by theoxide. In embodiments in which the coating 108 is deposited by ALD or anALD-like process (e.g., ALD deposition of silicon oxide), the resultantelongated stationary phase structures may be hollow elongated cylinders,with the hollow being where a CNT 106 was located.

Removal of CNTs 106 before use of the TLC plate may prevent CNTs 106from interfering (e.g., through a secondary interaction) with separationof a mobile phase during use of the TLC plate. In addition, it resultsin a white and/or transparent stationary phase; thereby makingevaluation of the chromatography results easier than if the stationaryphase is black or brown. In embodiments in which the coating 108comprises amorphous carbon, the CNTs 106 may not be removed, as both thecoating 108 and CNTs 106 comprise carbon, thereby substantiallyeliminating the possibility of a secondary interaction as a result ofthe CNTs 106 being present in the stationary phase formed duringinfiltration.

In some embodiments, the stationary phase structures 108′ comprises amaterial that is white, off white, transparent, or generally light incolor so that the compounds of the mobile phase separated during use ofthe TLC plate are visible on the surface of the TLC plate after beingdeveloped. Silicon and/or silicon dioxide are examples of materials thatprovide such a color contrast. In some embodiments, a fluorescentmaterial (e.g., ZnS) may be incorporated in the TLC plate. For example,the fluorescent material may at least partially coat and/or may beincorporated in the stationary phase structures 108′, may at leastpartially coat intervening portions of backing layer 102 between thestationary phase structures 108′, or both.

After oxidation and removal of CNTs 106, in some embodiments, the TLCplate so formed may be placed in a furnace in the presence of HCl sothat HCl vapors result in placement of hydroxyl groups onto the surfaceof stationary phase structures 108′ to functionalize stationary phasestructures 108′. Additional chemical functionality and selectivity maybe added to the stationary phase structures 108′ by, for example,silanolization with alkyl moieties through any suitable gas phasechemistry. When the stationary phase structures 108′ comprise silica(e.g., by oxidizing a silicon coating 108), the silica may befunctionalized by bonding C₈ chains, C₁₈ chains, NH₂, or combinationsthereof to the silica.

In an embodiment, the stationary phase may be exposed to water vaporafter the oxidation step and during cooling from the oxidationtemperature to ambient temperature. Acidified water vapor may beemployed to hydroxylate the surface. For example, this may be done byplacing the TLC plate above a boiling HCl solution so that the vapors ofthe solution are allowed to interact with the stationary phase. Theboiling solution may include methanol to aid in surface wetting. Othercomponents that may be used include other strong acids (e.g., nitricacid, HBr), organic acids (e.g., acetic acid, formic acid,trifluoroacetic acid) or other suitable chemical that can hydroxylatethe surface. In one embodiment, exposure may be about 5 minutes,although shorter or longer times may be employed. The silanol containingsurfaces may be silanized using a wide variety of silanes (e.g.,mono-chlorosilanes, di-chlorosilanes, tri-chlorosilanes, or combinationsthereof). Examples of suitable silanes include alkyl silanes (e.g.,octadecyl trichlorosilane, octadecyldimethylchlorosilane, perfluoroalkyl silanes), amino silanes, phenyl silanes, cyano silanes, biphenylsilanes, or combinations thereof. Such silanes may be monofunctional(e.g., including one Si—Cl group, one Si—OCH₃ group, one Si—OCH₂CH₃group, or one Si—OC(O)CH₃ group), or silanes bearing more than onesurface reactive functional group. Molecules such asoctadecyldiisopropylchlorosilane are contemplated, where the isopropylgroups impart added hydrolytic stability to the silica TLC plate.

Exposure to acidified water vapor may result in an improvement in thechromatographic performance of the material. FIGS. 16A-16D demonstratehow using such an acid treatment influences the chromatographiccapabilities of the material. The chemical species separated in theimage in FIGS. 16A-16D are Rhodamine 6G, Sunset Yellow FCF, andSufurhodamine B. Rhodamine 6G is retained to the greatest degree on theTLC plate.

In an embodiment, the TLC plates may be produced with a concentrationzone. This involves having an area that has relatively low retentionwhere compounds may be spotted. This allows for the mobile phase toquickly pull the analyte through this area and then the analytes willslow down when they reach the normal sorbent bed. This can be done bymaking the pre-concentration area with a low density of the stationaryphase structures and/or selectively functionalizing this area with achemical species that allows for reduced retention of analytes.

In some embodiments, substrate 101 may be scribed or partially cutbefore or after growth of CNTs 106 and/or coating CNTs 106. By scribingor cutting substrate 101, smaller TLC plates may be fabricated bybreaking a larger TLC plate along a scribe/cut line of substrate 101.

FIG. 11A is a top plan view of an embodiment of a TLC plate 100′. FIG.11B is a close-up view of a portion of TLC plate 100′ includesstationary phase structures 108′ that are arranged between an end 110and an end 112 of TLC plate 100′. TLC plates prepared according to theinventive methods disclosed herein provide a stationary phase in whichthe stationary phase is affixed to the substrate of the TLC platewithout the use of any separate binding agent (e.g., typically calciumsulfate). Such binding agents can interfere with the performance of theTLC plate as the result of secondary interactions resulting from thebinding agent. The elimination of the need for any binding agent resultsin a more high efficiency TLC plate while minimizing and/or preventingsuch secondary interactions.

The spacing of the stationary phase structures 108′ is illustrated inFIGS. 11A and 11B as being generally uniform. However, in someembodiments, the density of the stationary phase structures 108′ may bedifferent (e.g., greater or less) in different locations of the TLCplate 100′. For example, the density of the stationary phase structures108′ may be different (e.g., greater or less) near end 110 than near end112. As an alternative to or in addition to the density of thestationary phase structures 108′ varying with location, the compositionof the stationary phase structures 108′ may vary with location. As anon-limiting example, one portion of the stationary phase structures108′ may comprise zirconium oxide and another portion of the stationaryphase structures 108′ may comprise silica.

Furthermore, TLC plates prepared according to the inventive methodsdisclosed herein provide a stationary phase having a particularly highporosity. The high porosity, as well as the absence of a binder mayresult in increased efficiency of the TLC plate during use in analyzinga sample within a mobile phase. In one embodiment, the TLC plates formedaccording to the disclosed methods are used to analyze a samplematerial. In one embodiment, the sample to be analyzed is applied to thestationary phase structures 108′ of TLC plate 100′ (e.g., near end 110).A mobile phase solvent or solvent mixture is then drawn along TLC plate100′ (e.g., upwardly) by capillary action (e.g., by placing TLC plate100′ in a container including the solvent or solvent mixture). As thesolvent or solvent mixture is drawn along the TLC plate 100′ viacapillary action toward opposite end 112, the sample is dissolved in themobile phase and separation of components within the sample is achievedbecause different components of the sample ascend the TLC plate 100′ atdifferent rates. The high aspect ratio stationary phase structures 108′as well as the bulk porosity as a result of the spacing betweenindividual high aspect ratio stationary phase structures 108′ results inexcellent separation efficiency of components within the sample as thesample components are carried through the stationary phase structures108′ by the mobile phase (e.g., a solvent or solvent mixture). The TLCplates 100′ may also be used in HPTLC in which one or more of the methodof use steps may be automated so as to increase the resolution achievedand to allow more accurate quantization.

III. WORKING EXAMPLES

The following working examples are for illustrative purposes only andare not meant to be limiting with regards to the scope of thespecification or the appended claims.

Example 1

Individual TLC plates were formed by applying a 30 nm alumina layer overa backing layer. A 2-3 nm film of iron catalyst was deposited on thealumina layer and patterned by photolithographic process to form a TLCplate intermediate structure. The TLC plate intermediate structure wasplaced in a quartz support tube in a furnace and heated to about 750° C.while flowing about 500 standard cm³/min of H₂ process gas through thequartz tube. Once the furnace reached about 750° C., a flow ofcarbon-containing C₂H₄ gas was initiated at a flow of about 700 standardcm³/min. After growth of the CNTs were accomplished, the flow of H₂ andC₂H₄ gases were turned off, and the quartz tube was purged with argon ata flow of about 350 standard cm³/min while the furnace cooled to about200° C. The grown CNTs had a diameter of about 8.5 nm.

The grown CNTs were coated with silicon using LPCVD to deposit undopedpolycrystalline silicon. The CNTs were placed in an LPCVD furnace andheated to about 580° C. at a pressure of about 200 mTorr while flowingabout 20 standard cm³/min of SiH₄ for approximately 3 hours. The LPCVDprocess coated both the CNTs and the alumina layer. After coating withsilicon, the coated TLC plate intermediate structure was placed into afurnace and heated to about 850° C. and held at that temperature whilebeing exposed to the atmosphere, resulting in removal of the CNTs, aswell as oxidation of the deposited silicon to silicon dioxide. Differentoxidation samples were prepared in which oxidation was conducted forabout 5 hours, about 10 hours, and about 24 hours. Testing showed thatan increased oxidation time increases the ability of an analyte of themobile phase to migrate through the silicon/silicon dioxide stationaryphase.

FIGS. 12A and 12B show EDX spectra of the plate before and afteroxidation. Before oxidation, carbon is present. After oxidation, minimalcarbon remains. Moreover, oxygen is chemically grafted onto the surfaceof the silicon, forming silicon dioxide.

Examples 2 through 35

Individual TLC plates were formed by applying a 30 nm alumina layer overa substrate. Afterwards, a photoresist was applied, further followed byphotolithography and development. After development, the alumina layerand the photoresist was then coated with a predetermined amount ofcatalyst material. In these examples, a 2, 4, 6, or 7 nm layer of ironwas deposited on top of the photoresist and the alumina layer. Afterdeposition of the iron catalyst, the substrate was placed into a solventacetone bath used to lift off the remaining resist and the iron on it,as seen in FIGS. 13A-13D. The TLC plate intermediate structures werethen used for CNT growth by annealing the catalyst material by flowing300 cm³/min of H₂ through a 1 inch fused silica tube while the furnacewas heated from ambient temperature to a temperature between 650° C. and850° C. After annealing, the CNTs were grown by flowing 100 to 1000cm³/min ethylene mixed with 300 cm³/min H₂ through the fused silicatube. Afterwards, the furnace was cooled while the fused silica tube waspurged with 380 cm³/min argon to remove any remaining ethylene andhydrogen.

The CNTs were then infiltrated with elemental silicon by LPCVD and thenoxidized to SiO₂. The infiltration process used 20 cm³/min SiH₄ at 530°C. with a pressure of 160 mTorr for about 1 hour. After the siliconinfiltration, the material was placed into a furnace in air and heatedto between 500° C. and 1000° C. for between 1 and 10 hours to convertthe elemental silicon to silicon dioxide and also remove the CNTs. Thisprocess produced a white, SiO₂ material suitable for use inchromatography applications. FIG. 17 illustrates oxidized andnon-oxidized examples of silicon infiltrated CNT TLC trays so-formed.The silicon infiltrated CNTs are brownish (darker) in color, while thewhite plates are the oxidized TLC plates. FIGS. 14A-14P show additionalSEM images of these examples. Table I below provides informationrelative to each of these prepared Examples.

TABLE I Height of SiO₂ Example FIGURE Fe Thickness Nanostructures 2 14A7 nm 105 μm 3 14B 7 nm  90 μm 4 14C 7 nm  80 μm 5 14D 7 nm 100 μm 6 14E6 nm 100 μm 7 14F 6 nm 130 μm 8 14G 6 nm 140 μm 9 14H 6 nm 130 μm 10 14I4 nm Warped plate (height not determined) 11 14J 4 nm 190 μm 12 14K 4 nm165 μm 13 14L 4 nm 220 μm 14 14M 2 nm 145 μm 15 14N 2 nm 125 μm 16 14O 2nm 142 μm 17 14P 2 nm  7 μm

FIGS. 15A-15N are additional SEM images of the prepared examples. Eachof FIGS. 15A-15N includes three rows of pictures. The first row ofpictures show the silicon infiltrated CNTs, prior to oxidation. Thesecond row of pictures shows the oxidized silicon nanostructures inwhich the silicon has been oxidized to SiO₂. The third row of picturesshows some additional views, in which the first picture is a sideperspective view of the silicon nanostructures, the second picture is aside perspective view of the SiO₂ nanostructures, and the third pictureis a close-up side view of the SiO₂ nanostructures. Table II belowprovides additional information relative to each of these preparedExamples.

TABLE II Example FIGURE Fe Thickness 18 15A 2 nm 19 15B 2 nm 20 15C 2 nm21 15D 2 nm 22 15E 4 nm 23 15F 4 nm 24 15G 4 nm 25 15H 6 nm 26 15I 6 nm27 15J 6 nm 28 15K 6 nm 29 15L 7 nm 30 15M 7 nm 31 15N 7 nm

FIGS. 16A-16D are SEM images of several of the prepared samples, as wellas comparative testing results for several of the prepared samples ascompared to a commercial TLC plate, a regularly processed TLC plate, anda TLC plate treated with HCl vapors by placing the plate over 12M HClfor 5 minutes. Three different analytes, Rhodamine 6G, Sunset YellowFCF, and Sulforhodamine B, were used in the comparative testing. Theanalytes separate in the above listed order in a 9:1dichloromethane:methanol solvent system. The SEM images show, going fromleft to right and top to bottom: (1) a side elevation view of theelongated nanostructures; (2) a top perspective view of the elongatednanostructures; (3) a top plan view of the elongated nanostructures; and(4) a close-up view of the elongated nanostructures. Also shown (andlabeled) is the comparative testing of a commercial TLC plate, aregularly processed plate (i.e., without hydroxylation of the SiO₂), andan HCl treated plate in which the SiO₂ is hydroxylated. As seen in theimages, the regularly processed plate results in better separation ofthe analytes than the commercial TLC plate, and the HCl treated plateresults in better separation of the analytes than the regularlyprocessed TLC plate. Table III below provides additional informationrelative to each of these Examples.

TABLE III Example FIGURE Fe Thickness 32 16A 4 nm 33 16B 4 nm 34 16C 4nm 35 16D 6 nm

Example 36

FIG. 18A is an SEM image showing a substantially continuous zigzagpattern of SiO₂ stationary phase structures that were formed. Todemonstrate the chromatographic abilities of the TLC plate of FIG. 18A,a test solution produced by CAMAG (Muttenz, Switzerland) was used. Asshown in FIG. 18B, the TLC plate spotted with the CAMAG test mixtureshowed complete resolution of all five analytes. Run distance was 45 mmwith the mobile phase of toluene. The R_(f) values of the coloredcompounds were as follows: Yellow: 0.933, Red: 0.624, Blue 0.506, Black:0.32, Purple: 0.231. This plate showed somewhat different selectivitytowards the CAMAG test mixture compared to a commercial plate (FIG.18C). The R_(f) values of the colored compounds for the commercial platewere as follows: Yellow: 0.260, Red: 0.136, Blue 0.120, Black: 0.098,Purple: 0.002.

The described embodiments may be used in different types of liquid orgas chromatography, such as high-performance liquid chromatography(“HPLC”), ultra-performance liquid chromatography (“UPLC”), microfluidicapplications, pressurized liquid chromatography, microfluidic ornanofluidic chromatography, circular or anti-circular TLC, and any othertype of chromatography application. Various columns or separations mediafor HPLC, UPLC, or microfluidic applications containing the patterned orun-patterned infiltrated CNTs are within the scope of the presentdisclosure.

While various aspects and embodiments have been disclosed herein, otheraspects and embodiments are contemplated. The various aspects andembodiments disclosed herein are for purposes of illustration and arenot intended to be limiting. Additionally, the words “including,”“having,” and variants thereof (e.g., “includes” and “has”) as usedherein, including the claims, shall be open ended and have the samemeaning as the word “comprising” and variants thereof (e.g., “comprise”and “comprises”).

1. A method for manufacturing a thin layer chromatography plate, themethod comprising: forming a catalyst layer disposed on a substrate thatincludes a first portion and at least a second portion, each of thefirst and at least a second portions exhibiting a selected non-linearconfiguration; forming a layer of elongated nanostructures on the firstand at least a second portions of the catalyst layer, wherein the layerof elongated nanostructures includes a first portion grown on the firstportion of the catalyst layer and at least a second portion grown on theat least a second portion of the catalyst layer; at least partiallycoating the elongated nanostructures with a coating, the coatingincluding at least one of a stationary phase or a precursor of astationary phase for use in chromatography; and after the act of atleast partially coating the elongated nanostructures with a coating, atleast partially removing the elongated nanostructures.
 2. The method asrecited in claim 1, wherein the coating that at least partially coatsthe elongated nanostructures defines respective elongated structuresthat extend longitudinally away from the substrate.
 3. The method asrecited in claim 1, wherein the catalyst layer comprises iron, nickel,copper, cobalt, alloys thereof, or combinations thereof.
 4. The methodas recited in claim 1, wherein the substrate comprises a backing layeron which the catalyst layer is disposed, the backing layer including atleast one material selected from the group consisting of silica,silicon, nickel alumina, borosilicate glass, and steel.
 5. The method asrecited in claim 1, wherein the catalyst layer exhibits a thicknessbetween about 0.5 nm and about 5 nm.
 6. The method as recited in claim1, wherein forming the layer of elongated nanostructures on the firstand at least a second portions of the catalyst layer comprises growing alayer of carbon nanotubes.
 7. The method as recited in claim 6, whereinthe substrate and the catalyst layer are heated to between about 600° C.and about 900° C. during the act of growing the layer of carbonnanotubes.
 8. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein at leastpartially coating the elongated nanostructures with a coating comprisesforming the coating to include at least one material selected from thegroup consisting of silicon, silicon dioxide, silicon nitride, aluminum,aluminum oxide, titanium, titanium oxide, zirconium, and zirconiumoxide.
 9. The method as recited in claim 8, wherein forming the coatingto include at least one material selected from the group consisting ofsilicon, silicon dioxide, silicon nitride, aluminum, aluminum oxide,titanium, titanium oxide, zirconium, and zirconium oxide comprises atleast partially infiltrating the elongated nanostructures by lowpressure chemical vapor deposition with an infiltrant.
 10. The method asrecited in claim 9, wherein the low pressure chemical vapor depositionprocess is carried out at a temperature between about 500° C. and about650° C. and a pressure between about 100 mTorr and about 300 mTorr. 11.The method as recited in claim 1, wherein at least partially removingthe elongated nanostructures comprises oxidizing the coating that atleast partially coats the elongated nanostructures so that a pluralityof stationary phase structures are formed and oxidizing the elongatednanostructures so that the elongated nanostructures are substantiallyremoved.
 12. The method as recited in claim 11, further comprisingfunctionalizing the plurality of stationary phase structures.
 13. Themethod as recited in claim 1, further comprising heating the elongatednanostructures in an oxidizing environment so that the elongatednanostructures are substantially removed.
 14. The method as recited inclaim 1, wherein each of the first and at least a second portions of thecatalyst layer form a zigzag pattern.
 15. A thin layer chromatographyplate, comprising: a substrate; and a plurality of stationary phasestructures extending longitudinally away from the substrate, at least aportion of the plurality of stationary phase exhibiting an elongatedgeometry and being substantially free of carbon nanotubes, a first andat least a second portion of the plurality of stationary phasestructures each arranged in a non-linear configuration.
 16. The thinlayer chromatography plate as recited in claim 15, wherein the at leasta portion of the plurality of stationary phase structures exhibit anaverage aspect ratio between about 10,000 and about 2,000,000.
 17. Thethin layer chromatography plate as recited in claim 15, wherein thestationary phase structures exhibit an average spacing of about 4 μm andabout 8 μm between the first portion and the at least a second portion.18. The thin layer chromatography plate as recited in claim 15, whereinthe plurality of stationary phase structures are functionalized.
 19. Thethin layer chromatography plate as recited in claim 15, wherein theplurality of stationary phase structures are attached over the substratewithout a binder.
 20. The thin layer chromatography plate as recited inclaim 15, wherein the stationary phase structures of the first portionare at least partially intertwined with each other and the stationaryphase structures of the at least a second portion are at least partiallyintertwined with each other.
 21. The thin layer chromatography plate asrecited in claim 15, further comprising a catalyst layer include a firstportion on which the first portion of the plurality of stationary phasestructures are disposed and at least a second portion on which the atleast a second portion of the plurality of stationary phase structuresare disposed, wherein the first and at least a second portions of thecatalyst layer are spaced from each other and exhibit a selectednon-linear configuration.
 22. The thin layer chromatography plate asrecited in claim 15, wherein a density of the plurality of stationaryphase structures is selectively varied in different regions of theplurality of stationary phase structures.
 23. The thin layerchromatography plate as recited in claim 15, wherein at least a portionof the plurality of stationary phase structures are hollow.
 24. The thinlayer chromatography plate as recited in claim 15, wherein at least aportion of the plurality of stationary phase structures form nanowires.